Highlights:
- 21-year-old Indian-origin driver Jashanpreet Singh arrested in fatal DUI crash.
- Three people killed, four injured in San Bernardino County accident.
- Singh allegedly entered the US illegally in 2022, ICE detainer was lodged.
- Faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI.
- Incident renews debate over commercial licensing standards for non-US citizens.
A 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver, Jashanpreet Singh, has been arrested in Ontario, California, after a deadly crash that left three people dead and four others injured. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said Singh was driving a semi-truck at high speed on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County when he failed to brake and slammed into vehicles stuck in traffic congestion. Dashcam footage confirmed the violent impact, showing Singh’s truck plowing into a line of slow-moving cars.
Toxicology reports later confirmed that Singh was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the crash. Law enforcement sources claimed Singh had entered the United States illegally in 2022. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Singh is not a lawful immigrant and that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer following his arrest.
Singh now faces multiple charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of drugs. He has been sent to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and is awaiting trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at the Rancho Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga. The victims of the crash have not yet been identified by authorities.
Officials are also investigating whether Singh held a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) at the time of the collision. The case has sparked renewed concerns about commercial driver licensing standards for non-US citizens, particularly undocumented immigrants.
This incident follows a similar case from August, where another Indian national, Harjinder Singh, who entered the US illegally in 2018 and obtained a California commercial license, was charged in Florida for a fatal crash that also claimed three lives. As scrutiny intensifies, state and federal agencies are facing growing pressure to tighten verification checks for commercial vehicle operators amid fears over road safety and illegal immigration.
